Article Contributed by Sacks and Company
Published on January 13, 2026
The McCrary Sisters, Natalie Merchant, Exene Cervenka and John Doe among artists to perform the 1966 masterpiece and other selections from the Bob Dylan songbook at Cain’s Ballroom on Friday, February 20, 2026
In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Bob Dylan’s classic album Blonde on Blonde, Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center will present a major multi-artist concert featuring an exciting array of musicians for whom Dylan’s 1966 double-disc landmark remains a marvel of omnivorous musicality and lyrical brilliance. This one-night-only event takes place Friday, February 20, 2026 at Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa’s 100-year-old honky-tonk where Dylan himself has performed.
With Emmy-winning The Daily Show co-host and senior correspondent Jordan Klepper serving as emcee, the concert will spotlight all of the songs on Blonde on Blonde—including “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “Visions of Johanna,” “I Want You,” “Just Like a Woman,” and “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”—along with a curated selection of other Dylan songs from across his expansive discography. All material will be performed by a house band and a rotating cast of featured artists. The concert title is inspired by the album track “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later).”
Confirmed participants (in alphabetical order) include: The Cactus Blossoms; Exene Cervenka and John Doe (founding members of X and The Knitters); Fantastic Negrito; Craig Finn (The Hold Steady); Bob Dylan Center inaugural artist-in-residence and former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; La Marisoul (La Santa Cecilia); Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen); The McCrary Sisters; Nellie McKay; Natalie Merchant; Willie Nile; and Chuck Prophet.
As with the “Blood on the Tracks” fiftieth anniversary show presented by the Bob Dylan Center in January 2025, event co-curator Doug Keith will serve as music director and lead a house band featuring accomplished musicians including (in alphabetical order): indie-rock band Chatham County Line (Greg Readling, John Teer, Dave Wilson); solo artist and in-demand session musician/producer Phil Cook; Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee; and bassist Michael Libramento—fixtures of the North Carolina music scene.
“Sixty years on from its initial release, Blonde on Blonde still sounds like the future,” says Steven Jenkins, senior director of the Bob Dylan Center. “Dylan’s pursuit of what he called ‘that thin wild mercury sound’ led him to create this extraordinary double album, which our amazing roster of guest artists will transform anew.”
“It’s been a blast to dig deep into the endless complexities and surprises of Blonde on Blonde and rework the songs with our house band and featured vocalists,” adds music director Doug Keith. “We’re tackling other songs from the Dylan songbook as well. I’m really looking forward to sharing the results on what is going to be a spectacular evening of music at Cain’s Ballroom.”
“Blonde on Blonde is an obvious high-water mark in a singular career full of them,” says Craig Finn, who has covered Dylan in the past. “I’m thrilled to be heading to Tulsa to celebrate these songs and the legacy of Bob Dylan with such a talented group of artists.”
Ticket Info
An exclusive presale begins Wednesday, January 14 at 10:00 a.m. for Bob Dylan Center members in good standing as of Friday, January 9. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, and due to limited supply, membership does not guarantee the opportunity to purchase tickets. Any remaining tickets following the members-only sale will go on sale Friday, January 16.
“Sooner or Later” is generously supported by the Presenting Sponsor Harper House Music Foundation.
The “Sooner or Later” concert is a major fundraising event for the Bob Dylan Center. Premium table seating and sponsorship opportunities supporting the center’s education initiatives and public programs are available. Interested parties may reach out to support@bobdylancenter.com for more information.
For event updates, membership information, and ticket releases, visit bobdylancenter.com and subscribe to the newsletter.
About Blonde on Blonde
Bob Dylan’s seventh studio album was released June 20, 1966, and over the ensuing 60 years it has been cited as one of the most groundbreaking and influential releases of the rock ’n’ roll era. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965—yielding “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)”—and continued through March 1966 at CBS Studios in Nashville, where the remaining tracks were completed under producer Bob Johnston. From the Salvation Army–style horns of opener “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” to the epic-length closer “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” the double album remains a beguiling collection of songs, sounds, stories, unforgettable characters, insistent rhythms, and timeless melodies.
About the Bob Dylan Center
The Bob Dylan Center, located at 116 E. Reconciliation Way in Tulsa, Oklahoma, inspires and celebrates fearless creativity by exploring the music and artistry of the Nobel Prize–winning singer-songwriter as a catalyst for personal expression and cultural change. As the primary public venue for the Bob Dylan Archive® collection, the center curates and exhibits a priceless collection of more than 100,000 items spanning Dylan’s career, including handwritten manuscripts, notebooks and correspondence; films, videos, photographs and artwork; memorabilia and ephemera; personal documents and effects; unreleased studio and concert recordings; musical instruments; and more. The center presents a full roster of public programs including concerts, film screenings, and author talks.
